I fall asleep at 3 a.m. with Autumn Leaves in my ears. Jazz music helps me relax and after an awkward first day in Beit She’an, Chet Baker’s Autumn Leaves is what I need. Waking up the next day to a sunny Israeli morning I get ready for lots of swimming in one of Beit She’an’s springs.
The whole American cohort and the Israelis hosting us pack tightly onto the bus and head down to the spring. One by one we jump off of the bus and get into the water. This was a great icebreaker for Tal, my host, and I. After a great time swimming we grab a snack of watermelon from the watermelon man and we head back to Tal’s kibbutz. Tal tells us he is going to take Rylan (also staying with Tal) and I to his friend’s house after we napped. I was excited because he told me the day before that his friend is a jazz musician like me. Sometimes on the trip I felt like a chameleon, blending into the groups interests, but this could be my chance to talk with someone who shares my love for jazz.
I’m ecstatic on the way to his house, and I enter, melodica in hand. After an episode of Brooklyn 99 and a chat in broken English he invites me to his room. In there he has a piano and his custom bass. He asks me if I know any songs and I reply with Autumn Leaves. We play Autumn Leaves, me on his piano and him on the bass. I was shocked at how well he played. It was like playing with a professional. After playing a few more songs we talk about bands we listen to, bands we’re in, how we practice, how much more we should be practicing. I realized that the conversation wasn’t in broken English anymore. We might not speak the same language but music is universal.